Expansion of the Review's Mandate and Call for Submissions

Jun 30, 2015

The Motherisk Hair Analysis Independent Review (“Review”) is being conducted by the Honourable Susan Lang. The Review is inviting submissions from interested parties concerning matters within the Review’s mandate.

The Review’s mandate has been expanded. Please see the Order in Council, dated April 22, 2015, to understand the scope of the Review’s mandate. The Review’s mandate is to assess the adequacy and reliability of hair analysis evidence used in child protection and criminal proceedings from 2005 to 2015. The Review will carefully examine the methodology of hair analysis used by the Motherisk Drug Testing Laboratory during this period to assess its reliability for forensic purposes. The Review has also been asked to make recommendations about whether an additional review or process with respect to specific cases or classes of cases is warranted, and if so the nature and extent of any such additional review or process.

We welcome submissions from the public on any matters within the mandate of the Review, including any relevant supporting documents, by September 11, 2015. We intend to identify organizations and persons from whom we received submissions, and may reference those submissions in our final report as appropriate. You may e-mail your submissions to our Executive Coordinator, Joanna Arvanitis at joanna.arvanitis@m-hair.ca, or send them by mail or courier Motherisk Hair Analysis Independent Review, 155 Wellington St. W., 35th Floor, Toronto, ON M5V 3H1.